Animal Enclosure

ABSTRACT

An animal enclosure includes an inner wall defining an enclosure space for an animal and an outer wall at least partially surrounding the inner wall. A gap is defined between the inner and outer walls. The gap is filled with a gas such as air in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the gap is filled with a filler material such as foam or polymer material. The animal enclosure includes an upper housing member and a lower housing member in some embodiments. The upper and lower housing members may be secured together using one or more fasteners to form the animal enclosure. Each of the upper and lower housing members is rotational molded in some embodiments. Each of the upper and lower housing members includes an outer wall and an inner wall, each separated by a gap, in some embodiments.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/452,010 filed Aug. 5, 2014 entitled “Animal Enclosure”, which claimsbenefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/862,393, filed Aug. 5, 2013 entitled “Pet Crate With Double WallRoto-Molded Construction”, which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entireties.

A portion of the disclosure of the patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patentdisclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patentfile or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to structures for housinganimals and more particularly to portable pet kennels and pet crates. Insome embodiments, the present invention relates to portable pet cratesfor housing or transporting dogs.

Various types of structural enclosures for storing and transportinganimals are known in the art. Conventional portable animal crates suchas those used for housing and transporting dogs typically include aplastic or metal wire construction and include an interior enclosurewith a selectively openable door. Conventional portable animal cratesgenerally include a single-layer construction such as a single layer ofplastic, metal or wire mesh. The single-layer material forms thestructural support and also defines the enclosure space within theinterior of the crate. Conventional single-layer animal crates of thistype are generally sized to easily fit in the bed of a truck or thecargo area of a sport-utility vehicle, and such crates are often used bysportsmen, disabled persons, rescue, military and/or law enforcementpersonnel for storing and transporting dogs. Such conventional portableanimal crates provide a benefit of being relatively lightweight andportable such that a single person can lift and move the crate.Additionally, these types of conventional animal crates are generallysized to accommodate only the animal or animals to be housed within,thereby enhancing the portable nature of the product.

One problem with conventional single-layer portable animal crates is thelack of structural integrity and toughness of construction. Asingle-layer material wall may easily deflect or buckle under a load,potentially harming the animal housed within the enclosure. For example,owners of portable animal crates may regularly move the crate between ahouse and a vehicle or other location. During repeated movement of thecrate, conventional single-layer animal crates may be inadvertentlydropped or impacted resulting in cracks or dents in the material. Also,while travelling in a vehicle, conventional portable single-layer animalcrates may be crushed or severely deformed during a vehicle accident orother impact. Such deformation may severely injure or kill the animalhoused within the enclosure.

Additionally, conventional animal crates having single-layer materialwalls provide little insulation to animals housed within the enclosurein cold weather, especially when transported in an exposed environmentsuch as the bed of a pickup truck. Such conditions are frequentlyexperienced by sportsmen when transporting sporting dogs during winterhunting seasons. To overcome this problem, users of such conventionalsingle-walled animal crates are often forced to cover the crate with aninsulating blanket or crate cover when transporting an animal in coldweather. However, conventional crate covers and blankets are expensive,cumbersome, may become torn or ripped, and further may be blown off thecrate or become misaligned during use.

Another problem with conventional portable animal crates is the range ofmotion of the door. Conventional animal crates typically include a metalor wire mesh screen door that is pivotable relative to the framesurrounding the door opening. Conventional doors for animal crates havea range of motion from a closed position to a maximum open positionbetween 90 and 180 degrees away from the door opening where the doorencounters a door stop. At such a maximum open position, the doorextends away from the crate in a precarious location. While at themaximum open position, conventional animal crate doors—if forced furtherin the opening direction—may break or cause damage to the crate.Further, such conventional doors require additional space around thekennel to accommodate the door when in the maximum open position. Thisis undesirable when using a crate in a constant door-open configurationin a space-limited environment such as in a home, automobile, or in thefield. In many applications it is generally desirable to provide a cratedoor with a maximum open position consuming the least amount of spacearound the crate. Others have attempted to overcome this problem byproviding a crate door that is detachable. However, such solutions areoften inadequate because the attachment and detachment procedures arecumbersome, and the door may be broken, damaged or lost when detached.

A further problem with conventional portable animal crates is theinterior environment may become soiled during use. For example, manyportable plastic animal crates include a bottom that is continuouslymolded into the side walls rising from the bottom. As such, any liquidor animal waste accumulation inside the bottom of the crate will remainin the crate. When such crates are used with wet animals or in wetconditions, water and mud has a tendency to accumulate in the bottom ofthe crate. This generally creates an uncomfortable environment for theanimal. Moreover, the accumulation of water in the bottom of an animalcrate may be harmful to animals in wet cold conditions such as thoseexperienced by sporting dogs during winter hunting seasons.Additionally, the lack of drainage in the crate makes it difficult towash out the interior of the crate with a spray hose.

A further problem with conventional portable animal crates includes theinability of a crate to be easily secured to a structure such as the bedof a pickup truck or the interior of a sport utility vehicle. Duringtravel, it is often preferable to have the crate securely tied down to arigid object. Many conventional plastic animal crates do not includeexternal attachment points for securing webbing, rope, or other supportsto the crate. Users of conventional crates often place tie-downs overthe roof of the crate. However, without attachment points, the tie-downmaterial may slip or become dislodges, especially during wet weather, orduring a high-impact situation such as a vehicle accident. When atie-down becomes loose, the crate may undesirable separate from thevehicle and further injure the animal housed within. Conventional animalcrates also have a tendency to slide on surfaces when unsecured. Thismay further enhance the potential for damage to the crate and/or theanimal inside the crate during transport.

What is needed, then, are improvements to animal enclosures to addressthese and other problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a portable animal crate having numerousfeatures to address one or more of the problems noted above.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a portable animalenclosure apparatus including an inner wall defining an enclosure shapedto house the animal, an outer wall at least partially surrounding theinner wall, and a gap defined between the inner and outer walls. In someembodiments, the enclosure is rotational molded.

In further embodiments, the present disclosure provides a portableanimal kennel apparatus including a kennel body having an inner wall, anouter wall, and an opening shaped to allow the animal to enter and exitthe kennel. A door is pivotally attached to the kennel body at a doorhinge. The door is moveable from a closed position covering the openingto an open position greater than about 180 degrees from the closedposition alongside the outer wall of the kennel body. In someembodiments, the kennel apparatus is rotational molded.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a portable animalkennel apparatus including a first housing member including a firstinner wall and a first outer wall spaced by a first wall gap, and asecond housing member including a second inner wall and a second outerwall spaced by a second wall gap. The first and second housing membersare securable together to form a housing for the animal. In someembodiments, the first and second housing members are both rotationalmolded.

In some embodiments, it is an object of the present disclosure toprovide a double-walled animal crate for housing animals duringtransportation.

A further object of the present disclosure in some embodiments is toprovide an animal crate having improved structural rigidity andstability.

Yet another object of the present disclosure in some embodiments is toprovide an animal crate with improved thermal insulation of the enclosedspace, during hot and/or cold conditions.

Another object of the present disclosure in some embodiments is tofacilitate attachment of the animal crate to a structure using integralattachment bars.

A further object of the present disclosure in some embodiments is toprevent the crate from slipping across a surface during use by usingnon-skid feet.

Yet another object of the present disclosure in some embodiments isprovide an animal crate with a moat and drain hole that will allowliquid accumulation to exit the interior of the crate.

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading ofthe following disclosure when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an animalcrate in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an animalcrate in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a lowerhousing member for an animal crate in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an upperhousing member for an animal crate in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an upperhousing member for an animal crate in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an animalcrate in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an animal crate with adoor open about ninety degrees from a closed position.

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an animal crate with adoor open greater than about 180 degrees from a closed position.

FIG. 9 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an animal crate with adoor open about 270 degrees from a closed position.

FIG. 10 illustrates a rear perspective view of an embodiment of ananimal crate in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates a side elevation view of an embodiment of an animalcrate in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 12A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of Section 12A-12Afrom FIG. 11.

FIG. 12B illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of Section 12B-12Bfrom FIG. 11 in an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 13A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of Section 13A-13Afrom FIG. 9 in an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 13B illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of Section 13B-13Bfrom FIG. 9 in an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an animalcrate having a cross-sectional plane of reference.

FIG. 15A illustrates a partial cross-sectional perspective view of anembodiment of an animal crate with an air gap between inner and outerwalls.

FIG. 15B illustrates a partial cross-sectional perspective view of anembodiment of an animal crate having a filler material between inner andouter walls.

FIG. 16 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an animalcrate in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of ananimal crate designated by the numeral 10. Animal crate, animalenclosure, or kennel 10, includes a housing or kennel body 12 definingan interior space shaped and sized to accommodate one or more animals.In some embodiments, kennel body 12 is shaped to accommodate a dog.Kennel 10 is also shaped and sized to be portable in some embodiments.The size and shape of kennel 10 allows kennel 10 to be easilytransported from a residence or building to a vehicle or other mode oftransportation. Additionally, in some embodiments, kennel 10 is portableand is shaped and sized to comply with one or more regulations fortraveling with pets on commercial airlines.

Kennel 10 includes a door 24 hingedly attached to the kennel body 12.Door 24 includes a metal wire construction to allow airflow through thedoor into and out of the interior enclosure in some embodiments. Door 24includes a latch 26 selectively engageable with a correspondingstrike-plate 28. The strike-plate 28 is mounted on the door frameadjacent the door opening 48 to provide additional rigidity. When door24 is fully closed, door 24 covers door opening 48. Door 24 is pivotableabout a door hinge 30 located on or near kennel body 12. Door 24 mayfreely rotate about door hinge 30 to open or close door 24.

Kennel 10 also includes first and second handles 22 a, 22 b positionedon the kennel body 12. In some embodiments, first and second handles 22a, 22 b are located on the kennel roof 16 at front and rear positions insome embodiments. Handles 22 may include any suitable handles, and insome embodiments include a nylon webbing material with a rubberized gripregion. Handles 22 are secured to kennel body 12 using one or morehandle fasteners. As such, the handles 22 may be removed and replaced inthe event a handle becomes damaged or worn.

Kennel body 12 includes a two-piece construction in some embodiments.Kennel body 12 includes an upper crate housing 18 and a lower cratehousing 20, seen in FIGS. 2-6. Each of upper and lower crate housingmembers 18, 20 may be formed independently of each other andsubsequently joined together to form kennel 10. In some embodiments,upper and lower crate housing members 18, 20 are secured together usingone or more fasteners 78 a, 78 b, 78 c, etc. seen in FIG. 6. Eachfastener extends between upper and lower crate housing members 18, 20 toprovide a connection between the members. In some embodiments, lowercrate housing member 20 includes a plurality of fastener holes 58 toallow passage of fasteners 78. A corresponding socket or other fastenerreceiver may be located at a corresponding location on upper cratehousing member 18. In some embodiments, threaded sockets 74 are moldedinto upper crate housing member 18 to receive a threaded end of afastener 78 inserted upwardly toward upper crate housing member 18. Inalternative embodiments, threaded sockets are installed in lower cratehousing member to receive fasteners installed through correspondingfastener holes defined in the upper housing member 18.

Kennel 10 may be provided fully assembled using fasteners 78, or may besold with upper and lower crate housing members 18, 20 separated toreduce packaging size. Kennel 10 is configured in some embodiments suchthat a user may construct or disassemble the upper and lower cratehousing members 18, 20 together simply by stacking the members andinstalling or removing fasteners 78. To ease the assembly procedure, insome embodiments, lower crate housing member 20 includes one or morepilot protrusions 66 a, 66 b, 66 c extending upwardly toward upper cratehousing member 18. Each pilot protrusion 66 is shaped to fit in acorresponding pilot recess 68 a, 68 b, 68 c defined in a correspondinglower edge of upper crate housing member 18. In some embodiments, eachpilot protrusion 66 and pilot recess 68 is formed surrounding a fastenerhole 58. This arrangement allows upper and lower crate housing members18, 20 to be biased to an aligned position when stacked such that itbecomes easier to install fasteners 78.

Kennel 10 includes a double-walled construction in some embodiments. Assuch, kennel 10 includes an inner wall and an outer wall. The inner andouter walls are separated by a gap, and a space is provided between theinner and outer walls, as seen in FIG. 12A. An upper gap 40 shown inFIG. 12A is defined between inner and outer walls on upper crate housingmember 18, and a lower gap 42 is defined between inner and outer wallson lower crate housing member 20. A plurality of integrated supportstandoffs, or kiss-offs, may be positioned in the gap to provide localstructural support between opposing walls. Each support standoff mayextend from an outer wall to an inner wall, or vice versa, to provide alocal structural reinforcement. Each standoff at its maximum depth maycontact the opposing wall. In some embodiments, each standoff at itsmaximum depth engages and is molded to the opposing wall. In someembodiments, the gap between inner and outer walls is filled with air.As such, kennel 10 in some embodiments includes a region of air spacebetween inner and outer walls. The region of air space may provideenhanced insulation for the kennel without adding significant weight.This is advantageous in many applications, as the air insulation layermay provide improved thermal performance in both hot and coldconditions. Additionally, the double-walled construction including innerand outer walls separated by a gap provides greater strength andresistance to impact as compared to conventional single-walled animalcrates. Referring further to FIG. 12A, in some embodiments, upper cratehousing member 18 includes an upper inner wall 70 and an upper outerwall 72. Upper inner and outer walls 70, 72 may be continuously formedfrom a plastic or polymer material in some embodiments. Similarly, lowercrate housing member 20 includes a lower inner wall 60 and a lower outerwall 62. Lower inner and outer walls 60, 62 may also be continuouslyformed from a plastic or polymer material in some embodiments.

As seen in FIG. 12B, in some embodiments, the gap between inner andouter walls is filled with a filler material. The filler material 44 mayinclude a foam or expanded foam material in some embodiments.Alternatively, filler material 44 may include a fiber, resin, polymer,or any other suitable filler material. Filler material 44 spans the gapbetween inner and outer walls on upper and/or lower crate housingmembers 18, 20. Filler material 44 provides additional strength tokennel body 12. Filler material 44 also provides additional thermalinsulation for keeping the interior of kennel 10 cool or warm. In someembodiments, upper crate housing member 18 includes a first fillermaterial 44 a, and lower crate housing member 20 includes a seconddissimilar material 44 b. In other embodiments, first and second fillermaterials 44 a, 44 b are substantially the same. In some embodiments,only one of upper and lower crate housing members includes a fillermaterial.

Although the double-walled construction of kennel body 12 may be formedusing any suitable process, in some embodiments, kennel body 12 includesa double-walled construction formed using a rotational moldingmanufacturing process, sometimes referred to as roto-molding. In suchembodiments, upper crate housing member 18 is formed independently oflower crate housing member 20. In separate molds. In alternativeembodiments, kennel body 12 includes a single rotational molded unitaryconstruction having inner and outer walls, and kennel 10 is not splitinto upper and lower crate housing members. In some embodiments, theinner and outer walls are continuously formed in a molding process andare joined continuously around the edges. This provides a unitary moldedobject with a double-walled construction for each component of kennelbody 12. The continuous one-piece construction having inner and outerwalls increases strength for the kennel 10 and improves thermalperformance.

Kennel 10 also includes a plurality of vent holes, or windows 50 a, 50b, etc. Each vent hole provides an opening in a side of the kennel toallow air to flow into or to leave the enclosed space within theinterior of the kennel. Each vent hole 50 is bordered by upright ventsupports 51 a, 51b, etc. Vent holes 50 and corresponding vent supports51 may be located in upper crate housing member 18 only, in lower cratehousing member 20 only, or on both upper and lower crate housing members18, 20. Each vent support 51 provides increased structural rigidity andstrength to the kennel 10. For example, a double-walled region maytypically include only two layers with a space or filler material inbetween. However, vent supports 51 provide two extra local transversewalls facing adjacent vents, further increasing strength. As seen in across-sectional view in FIG. 15A taken along the plane 15A from FIG. 14,an embodiment of a vent support 51 a includes an outer support wall 53a, an inner support wall 53 b, a first side support wall 53 c facingfirst vent hole 50 a, and a second side support wall 53 d opposite firstside support wall and facing second vent hole 50 b. The addition offirst and second side support walls 53 c, 53 d provides transverse wallsthat provide additional strength to the kennel 10. The supports 51 alsoprovide reinforcement in the area around a pet's head when located onupper crate housing member 18, as seen in FIG. 18A.

As seen in FIG. 11 and FIG. 15B, an inclined vent ramp 92 is defined atthe lower end of each vent hole 50 in some embodiments. Each vent ramp92 includes a sloped surface, sloping downwardly from the local innerwall to the outer wall. The vent ramp 92 having a surface that slopesdownwardly from the inner wall toward the outer wall allows rain orother moisture incident on the region between vent supports to drainoutwardly away from the interior of the kennel 10. This helps to keepthe interior of the kennel dry when transported or used in wetconditions.

As seen in FIG. 15A, each support 51 may include a hollow interiorregion filled with air. In other embodiments, as seen in FIG. 15B, eachupright support includes a filler material 44 that is dispersedthroughout the region between inner and outer walls on kennel body 12.Although upright supports 51 are shown in a vertical orientation in thefigures, the supports 51 may include other angled or curved uprightorientations in other embodiments.

Referring further to FIG. 3 and FIG. 12A, in some applications, a moat54 is defined around the perimeter of floor 56 on the interior of kennelbody 12, and particularly on lower crate housing member 20. Moat 54provides a recessed region for draining water off of floor 56. Moat 54includes a slightly lower elevation than the floor 56. In someembodiments, moat 54 includes a depth greater than about ½ inch. Inother embodiments, moat 54 includes a depth of between about ½ inch andabout two inches. As such, liquid inside the enclosure may accumulate inmoat 54 while floor 56 stays relatively dry.

Additionally, in some embodiments, a drain hole 64 is defined in one ormore walls of kennel body 12. In some embodiments, drain hole 64 isdefined in lower crate housing member 20 in or near the rear wall 88.Drain hole 64 allows liquid to exit the kennel 10. A removable drainplug 80, seen in FIG. 10, is installed in drain hole 64. Drain plug 80may be removed to allow liquid to exit kennel 10. An additional drainrecess 55 is defined in moat 54 adjacent drain hole 64 in the floor oflower crate housing member 20 in some embodiments. The drain recess 55allows liquid to more easily escape through drain hole 64. As seen inFIG. 10, in some embodiments a plug recess 82 is formed in the outerwall of lower crate housing member 20 adjacent drain hole and drain plug80. Plug recess 82 is integrally formed to provide additional structuralintegrity and also to recess drain plug 80 so that it does not protrudebeyond the rear outer profile of kennel housing 12. During use, drainplug 80 may be removed so that the kennel 10 will drain water from a wetanimal to the exterior of the kennel 10.

Referring further to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 7-9, kennel 10 in some embodimentsincludes a door 24 that is moveable from a fully closed position to afully open position. In the closed position, indicated by line 27 inFIG. 7, door 24 covers door opening 48. Door 24 may be opened about doorhinge 30 away from the door opening. Door 34 includes an L-shaped doorbracket 34 in some embodiments. Door bracket 34 is secured at one end todoor 24 and at the other end to door hinge 30. As such, door bracket 34provides an angled extension protruding from a vertical edge of door 24.In some embodiments, door bracket 34 is substantially ninety degrees. Inother embodiments, door bracket 34 includes any other suitable angle.Referring to FIG. 7, door 24 may be opened to a first angle 25 a ofninety degrees or greater. Referring to FIG. 8, door 24 may be furtheropened to a second angle 25 b greater than 180 degrees from the fullyclosed position indicated by line 27.

A kennel bracket 32 protrudes from kennel body 12 in some embodiments,and door hinge 30 is positioned on the distal end of kennel bracket 32.Door hinge 30 is offset from the nearest outer side wall of kennel body12 by a door hinge offset distance, or first offset distance 36, seen inFIG. 7. First offset distance 36 is generally the normal distancebetween the door hinge and the local outermost side wall surface.Similarly, door hinge 30 is offset from the plane of door 24 by a doorbracket offset distance 38, or second offset distance, seen in FIG. 7.In some embodiments, door bracket offset distance 38 is equal to orgreater than door hinge offset distance 36. This allows door 24 to berotated to a third angle 25 c shown in FIG. 9 about 270 degrees awayfrom the closed position to a location alongside the outer wall ofkennel body 12. In this configuration, door 24 may be opened and swungaround to the side of kennel body 12 in a compact position. This allowskennel 10 to remain open without having door 24 extending outwardly fromkennel body 12 and taking up too much space.

Referring further to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in some embodiments, kennel 10includes numerous integrated attachment bars located near the uppercorners of kennel body 12. First and second attachment bars 52 a, 52 bare located along a first edge of kennel body 12, and second and thirdattachment bars 52 c, 52 c are located along a second edge of kennelbody 12. Each attachment bar is located in a corresponding attachmentrecess 63 integrally formed in the outer wall of kennel body 12. Eachattachment bar 52 is mounted in a socket such that the bar spans itsassociated attachment recess 63. As such, the attachment bars areflushly mounted along the outer profile of the kennel body and do notundesirably extend outwardly from the kennel body where they couldbecome broken or damaged. Additionally, the corresponding attachmentrecess 63 surrounding each attachment bar 52 provides clearance spacefor passage of one or more tie-downs, webbing, strap, rope or chains forsecuring kennel 10 to a structure such as a truck bed. Each attachmentbar 52 also allows kennel 10 to be locked securely to a structure toprevent theft of kennel 10 in some embodiments. In some embodiments,first and second attachment bars 52 a, 52 b are separate metal bars eachinstalled in its own socket. In other embodiments, first and secondattachment bars 52 a, 52 b form one continuously metal bar insertedthrough the entire length of kennel body 12.

Referring further to FIG. 5, in some embodiments kennel 10 includesintegrated truss members 84, 86. A first integrated truss member 84 isformed along the roof and upper side walls of upper crate housing member18. First integrated truss member 84 includes an integrally moldedsupport region extending farther downwardly into the enclosure than thesurrounding inner wall regions, forming an integrated truss. Firstintegrated truss member 84 is located adjacent door opening 48 in someembodiments. Similarly, a second integrated truss member 86 is formedalong the inner wall of upper crate housing member 18 in someembodiments near the rear of the kennel. Second integrated truss member86 may be formed adjacent rear wall 88 in some embodiments. First andsecond integrated truss members 84, 86 provide additional structuralrigidity to upper crate housing member 18 and particularly to roof 16.This provides additional strength when kennel 10 is loaded externallyfrom above or from the sides.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 11, in some embodiments, kennel 10 includesone or more non-skid feet 76 disposed along the bottom of kennel body12. Each foot 76 includes a not-skid material such as a rubber, polymer,urethane, etc. Each foot 76 protrudes downwardly from the lower outerwall on lower crate housing member 20. Each foot 76 may be integrallymolded into the lower crate housing member 20 during a casting ormolding procedure. Alternatively, each foot 76 forms a separatecomponent that is installed on lower crate housing member 20 aftermolding. Each foot 76 prevents kennel 10 from inadvertently sliding on asurface during use or during transport. Additionally, feet 76 may reduceor dampen vibrations felt by the animal housed within kennel 10.

Referring to FIG. 16, one or more lock flanges 98 extend from kennelbody 10 in some embodiments. Each lock flange 98 includes a flangeincluding a hole or recess for attaching a lock, cable, tie-down orother securement device. Each lock flange 98 includes a structure thatmay be sandwiched or clamped between upper and lower housing members.Each lock flange may be removed when not in use by disassembling upperand lower housing members.

Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of thepresent invention of a new and useful Animal Enclosure it is notintended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scopeof this invention except as set forth in the following Claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable animal enclosure apparatus,comprising: an inner wall defining an enclosure shaped to house theanimal; an outer wall at least partially surrounding the inner wall; anda gap defined between the inner and outer walls.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the inner and outer walls are rotational molded.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a filler material disposed inthe gap between the inner and outer walls.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3,wherein the inner and outer walls are rotational molded.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a gas filling the gap betweenthe inner and outer walls.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein theinner and outer walls are rotational molded.
 7. The apparatus of claim1, further comprising: a door pivotally attached to the enclosure at adoor hinge; wherein the door is moveable from a closed position to anopen position greater than about 180 degrees from the closed positionalongside the outer wall.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the innerand outer walls are rotational molded.
 9. A portable animal kennelapparatus, comprising: a kennel body having an inner wall, an outerwall, and an opening shaped to allow the animal to enter and exit thekennel; and a door pivotally attached to the kennel body at a doorhinge; wherein the door is moveable from a closed position covering theopening to an open position greater than about 180 degrees from theclosed position alongside the outer wall of the kennel body.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 9, further comprising an L-shaped door bracketdisposed on the door, wherein the door bracket is pivotally attached tothe door hinge.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: the door hingeis offset from the local kennel outer wall by a first offset distance;and the door hinge is offset from the plane of the door by a secondoffset distance, wherein the second offset distance is greater than thefirst offset distance.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the doorhinge is located on a kennel bracket protruding from the kennel body.13. A portable animal kennel apparatus, comprising: a first housingmember including a first inner wall and a first outer wall spaced by afirst wall gap; and a second housing member including a second innerwall and a second outer wall spaced by a second wall gap, wherein thefirst and second housing members are securable together to form ahousing for the animal.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the firstand second housing members are rotationally molded.
 15. The apparatus ofclaim 14, further comprising one or more non-skid feet attached to theouter wall.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising: thesecond housing member having a floor with an outer perimeter; and arecessed moat defined in the floor along the outer perimeter.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 16, further comprising a drain hole in the secondhousing member, the drain hole in fluid communication with the moat. 18.The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a removable drain plugdisposed in the drain hole.